In our second installment in our two-part discussion of Microsoft's ClickOnce technology, we're going to take a look at how ScreenConnect incorporates ClickOnce today.

ScreenConnect utilizes the ClickOnce development technology for the guest and host client. Taking advantage of ClickOnce’s self-updating feature and deployment capability, ScreenConnect can check for the latest version of these clients as hosts create sessions to make sure that each host is utilizing the most up-to-date version of the code. This method provides a nice balance between a SaaS product and a traditional thick client, allowing administrators to control what options are available for hosts but also providing a rich client that can be run outside of a web browser.

Is your company using ClickOnce? What advantages or disadvantages have you seen? Share your experiences with us in the comments!

Over the next two blog posts, we will cover the technology behind ClickOnce and how ScreenConnect implements it today.

ClickOnce allows for the development of “smart clients,” feature-rich applications that can be deployed from the web, a local network, or from media such as a CD or DVD. By clicking a hyperlink, a user can launch a ClickOnce application without the need for an installer. This is because ClickOnce utilizes the .NET Framework already installed on the user’s Windows machine, resulting in easier deployment, installation, and updating.

Some of the features of ClickOnce include:

Installation on a per-user basis, no administrator permissions required

With the release of Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft has launched a campaign to move the world off Internet Explorer 6. IE6, released nearly nine years ago, still continues to be supported by Microsoft with monthly updates. These monthly updates will be ending soon, however; Microsoft will stop supporting IE6 in 2014.

The Internet Explorer 6 Countdown page displays the usage of IE6 per country, as well as the total percentage of the world that is using IE6. Currently, 12% of the world is still using IE6, with India and China holding the highest percentages by country. Norway and Finland are the only two countries with IE6 usage below 1%.

Supporters of this campaign include the instant messaging service Meebo, CNET, iStockPhoto, and many others.

PCWorld’s article, "Choose the Right Tech Support for Your Business," lists tips for small companies in need of an IT staff. Remote support software is listed as one of the IT solutions for a small business owner. Often less expensive than calling a technician over, a remote support session can save both time and money, valuable resources for small businesses around the globe.

The article also includes information on finding a knowledgeable IT person to hire when the small business expands. There are also warning signs provided to steer small business owners away from less than honorable IT personnel.

We welcome all small business owners to share their IT staff stories. Feel free to post a comment and share your experiences!

A member of the TechNibble.com forum posted an excellent solution for managing screws that tend to misplace themselves while laptops are being repaired. The solution involves drawing an outline of the laptop, punching holes into where the screws are, and then pushing the screws through the holes.

We here at ScreenConnect recommend punching holes in cardboard rather than paper, since paper can be rather flimsy and can toss the screws out. But for IT technicians that service many laptops a day, this little trick can spare quite a few headaches!

With Mac OS’s rise in OS market share over the past decade, hackers are readying attacks against this burgeoning group of Apple users. Once regarded as a safe-haven from malicious software that only targeted Windows machines, Mac users now find themselves in the crosshairs.

Hackers call one such piece of malicious software “Blackhole” RAT, Remote Access Trojan. This Trojan allows hackers to remotely control a user’s Mac. It could also be used to display a fake “Administrator Password” window, allowing the perpetrators to collect password information.

With the release of Mac OS X 10.7, also referred to as “Lion,” Apple is taking a hard look at security. According to Cult of Mac and Apple Insider, security experts have been called in to take a look at the beta release of the software. This is the first time the company has invited outside security researchers.

Among the most important security improvements is ASLR, Address Space Layout Randomization. This allows Lion to store vital data in unpredictable locations, frustrating hackers or malicious software that may be expecting a set pattern

In anticipation of iOS-enabled ScreenConnect 2.1, we’re covering what’s new in the world of Apple. Stay tuned for our next post on the iPad 2. In the meantime, why not beta test ScreenConnect 2.1? Email us at sales@screenconnect.com for more information!

Since we blogged about filtering unattended sessions, we thought it would be a good idea to highlight filtering attended sessions. This way, one host can be prevented from ending another host’s session or from accessing another computer he or she should not be accessing. All it takes is a little CSS editing.

First, find the name of the visual theme your ScreenConnect site is using. This can be found on the Appearance tab on the Administration page.

From there, navigate to the theme directory (usually C:\Program Files\Elsinore Technologies\ScreenConnect\App_Themes) and select the name of your theme. Inside will be a stylesheet called Default.css. Open the file in a text editor and add the following to the end:

.OtherSession
{
display: none;
}

And that’s it! Now the host will only be able to view sessions he or she created.